The Clockworks
by TTRPrincessRoxy101
Summary: So this story is about a tall royal blue cat named Princess Roxy who is a prankster and loves to mess with cogs. But when she finds out the cogs are killing everyone, she must fight for her home. This story is supposed to be about what happened on the inside of the game when Toontown Online closed. Enjoy! :)
1. Chapter 1

"_It's closing!? Why!? Why is it closing so soon!? No! Leave me alone! I want to be alone!"_

_A strangely-colored hand reached towards me, but couldn't seem to get to me. A creature dressed in white sobbed faintly. Then it was as if the whole world faded around me, blackening every toon until it reached me. Then I was suddenly sucked into the endless vortex and the last thing I heard was a muffled shriek somehow familiar to me. Then I blacked out and nothing was left. _

I ran down Silly Street with a Flunky chasing me. "You twerp! Give me back my glasses!" He screamed at me. "You're a robot! Isn't it easy enough for your creator to make another pair of glasses?!" I yelled over my shoulder. "Stop, Toon!" Another voice chimed in. Confused, I looked ahead and instantly stopped. This sent the Flunky running past me, and crashing into a dumpster.

I couldn't help but drop to my knees and laugh my head off. A large pair of glasses fell from my hand to the ground with a cracked lens. Then I stopped laughing when I heard the growl from the Telemarketer standing in front of me. "Give me those glasses, and your gags." He demanded. I nodded sarcastically and handed him the glasses. Then he held out his hand for my gags.

Slowly, I reached into my pack and took out a TNT stick. Then I handed it to him, and little did he know it was lit. The cog gasped as it exploded, with the Flunky right beside him, also a victim. I chuckled at the oil raining down and the gears flying everywhere and got on my pack. "Cogs, they never learn." I stated and picked up the ruined Flunky glasses. "Dang Toontask. Why do you need other toons to do your chores? Can't you just get the glasses yourself?" I mumbled and dragged my feet through the tunnel to the playground.

When I got to the trolley, I noticed no one was there to ask to ride with me. "Where is everyone?" I wondered. Then from behind I could hear countless mutters and whispers at Toon Hall. I walked over and poked my nose into the crowd. A purple bunny next to me was freaking out and a blue dog next to her tried to calm her down. "Excuse me, but do you know what's going on?" I asked them. This made the bunny faint into the dog's arms. He wiped sweat from his face and bit his lip. Then he turned to me and answered, "Cogs are taking over Toontown."


	2. Chapter 2

"_The true enemy is beyond even our knowledge, lurking around somewhere in unbearable darkness. You must beware of the end, for the time has come to face the real cogs." A key to the clockwork factory, all alone in a maze of spinning gears and dried tears. Completely alone, and forever separated from the others, and the only one brave enough to be in the clockworks._

"Wait, what?" The dog gave a sad nod. "Just look up there." He said and pointed to a large camera created by the scientists. The camera screen showed a Mr. Hollywood with Flippy in his hands. "Toons, we have your precious leader. Unless you want us to kill him, give in to us now. Your chances of saving this toon and yourselves are now crushed. Surrender now, or die." It commanded.

Some toons in the front began to bow down, and some stood with looks of concern. I took a few deep breaths, and saw Flippy hanging with his eyes closed in the arms of the cog. I suddenly felt angry, then furious. I then found myself barging past everyone and pushing my way into the very front. I clamped my fist and pointed at the screen. "I will never back down!" I shouted. The cog had a look of surprise. "Do you wish to bring the horrible pain of death upon the entire toon population?" He threatened. "Only myself. I'm not scared." I shot back.

"We will kill you all, starting with you, pathetic toon!" The cog exclaimed. "My name is Princess Roxy. And if it would mean saving all of Toontown, I'd gladly die. But I'm not going down without a fight." I growled. "I'm done with you, foolish cat. You will perish!" He yelled and the screen went blank. Then whispers fluttered all around the group of toons from behind. "Princess!?" A voice called my name and I turned around to find who was talking.

I gasped. "Ocean?" A dark blue cat headed in my direction. "Roxy, what are you doing?! You couldn't aim a pie at a cog perfectly if you tried!" He said. I bit my lip and realized what I had done. "I don't know what I did that for! I just started walking forward and it came out!" He shook his head. "I can tell, Roxy. You meant every word you said." He murmured.

"Wait a minute! They have Flippy! We have to save him!" I decided. "Wait, Roxy, do you know how dangerous this is?! Sure, low level cogs are easy, and fun to prank, but this is the real deal! Don't you remember the rumor about the Chairman?" "The Chairman?! He's just an old legend! It's not like some tall weirdo will just pop up and claim to be the leader of the cogs. Couldn't we all win if we just worked together…?" Ocean looked at the ground nervously.

"Listen, Roxy. You don't know what you're doing. Those cogs aren't as shallow as they used to be. Now they're even more vicious; can't you see it? After many, many attempts to capture us all, this is finally the time where they get their wish. Toons everywhere don't know what to do: fight, run, or give in? Roxy, you were made to fight cogs, but this is too much for even you to handle." Ocean kept on trying to get me to change my mind, then was suddenly interrupted by a loud boom from faraway.

I whirled around and gasped. Past the Silly Street tunnel and beyond, was a long cloud of smoke trailing to the sky. Flames burned and a massive explosion was consuming everything around it. I took my attention off of it and turned around to face the toons. They were frightened and confused, all staring at the sky with wide eyes or whispering to each other silently. I slowly turned back to the fiery black cloud and clasp my hand over my mouth as I saw cogs circle around it in the air. "Ocean?" I called him. "Yeah?" "Did that come from Daisy Gardens?" "Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

_A tear, fallen from the eye of the dark one, forever falling, never to reach the ground. From the darkness two eyes glow bright and only a single tear falls. The key turns, rotating the gears all around. Finally the tear hits the ground and rusts the metal. Then the key drops to the floor, and the spinning gears stop forever. _

"What should we do?!" I turned to Ocean, but he was just as clueless as me. I looked back at the explosion that happened just a second ago, where now cogs from the air were searching for anyone alive to TNT. "I sure hope no one got hurt…" I sighed. "Um, I think I know what to do." We both spun around to see who was talking to us. Standing there was a peach dog staring straight back at us.

"I'm Sparkly Rose Lab, but you can call me Spark." She said in a calm matter. "Ok, Spark, so what do you think we should do?" I asked her. "Well, if we were to figure out what happened, we could go over and check it out." She answered. "But that's dangerous! We'll all get killed!" Ocean protested. "Well, yeah, but there's also a chance of saving any hurt toons and getting out of there alive." She told him.

'_Wow, she's so calm.' _I think to myself. _'Isn't she worried or stressed that this could be the end?' _"Spark, I think it just might work. That is, if we work together. Most toons are too scared to face the cogs." I agreed with her. Ocean hesitated for a moment, then gave a slight nod. I thought for a second, and stepped up. "Won't anyone help us search?" I asked the crowd. They all remained silent.

I sighed deeply and faced Ocean. "What are we going to do? This is the biggest cog wave that ever hit in toon history, and no one is brave enough to fight!" I began to freak out. "Roxy! ROXY!" Ocean yelled. I then stopped and looked at the ground. "You don't get it, do you? What's it like to lose your whole family to cogs right in front of you…" I whispered and wiped back a tear.

Ocean put his hand on my shoulder. "It'll be alright." He promised me. Spark did the same thing. I sighed heavily and buried my face in my hands. "Um, Roxy, is it?" A voice sounded behind me. I slowly turned and saw an aqua cat standing in front of me. "I'm Fite… I wanna help you look." She told us. I then forgot about my past and looked at her. "That would be great, Fite. I just… really hope that we're doing the right thing." I said.

"Trust me, we're doing the right thing." She reassured me. I lit up. "So… I guess we should get going?" Spark asked. We all nodded. "Are we all prepared? We don't know what we're facing…" I asked. They all showed me that they were ready with plenty of gags. Slowly, we began to walk over to the Silly Street tunnel. I stopped when we reached the entrance. "Roxy? Aren't you coming?" Ocean asked me.

"Um… yeah. I'll catch up in a second." I replied. He gazed at me, then went in. I turned back to the crowd. They were watching us with hope in their eyes. "I promise… We will save Toontown. I know we can." I told them. They gave looks showing that they believed in me. I crookedly smiled, then vanished into the tunnel.


	4. Chapter 4

_A transparent tear fell to the ground only inches away from me. Slowly, I looked up. The sky was clouded with grey smoke and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Next thing I know, I see a strange-looking face staring straight back at me. It seemed sad at first, then its look grew to an expression of frustration. It seemed to reach out to me, as if it were trying to give me something. Suddenly I realized that I had a large key in my hands, and the vision went blurry. _

"Roxy? Roxy?!" Ocean interrupted my daydreaming as I walked with him. We had just set out for Daisy Gardens with a few other toons to go check out a strange explosion cause by cogs that had happened only minutes ago. "Wha- Huh?!" Ocean waved his hands in front of my frozen face. "Yo, you there?" He questioned. "Y-Yeah." I sighed.

"So… What were you telling everyone else?" Spark cut in. I went quiet for a moment before answering. "Oh, um, I was just promising that we would make sure no one got hurt." I told her. "Well, the point was to do that… On the other hand, do you think that Flippy might be somewhere near Sellbot HQ?" Fite asked. "Uh… Maybe?" I said nervously.

"I really hope Flippy is okay." Spark sighed. Fite agreed. "I think-" She began, but was cut off by a strange rustling in the bushes nearby. "What was that?"

I ran over to investigate. The bush suddenly shook harder than before. I slowly looked behind it, but found nothing, until something caught my eye. A toon glove! I picked it up and examined it closely.

"Roxy, what'd you find?" Ocean called out, but I wasn't listening. Somehow, this glove seemed like it belonged to a toon who seemed strangely familiar. "…Obvi?" I muttered curiously. "Obvi? Who's that?" I looked over and saw Fite standing behind me. "Uh… no one." Fite motioned for me to come back. I took one last look at the bush, then ran over.

"Roxy!" Ocean suddenly screamed my name. I rushed up to them as fast as I could. "What's going on?!" I exclaimed. Ocean didn't answer me. Instead, he quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me up a tree. I curled up against the branch with his hand against my mouth. _What's happening?! Where's Spark and Fite? _

I looked over at Ocean hopefully. He was staring through the branches as if something were there. Cautiously, I leaned over and peered through the leaves. There was three Mr. Hollywood cogs standing in the middle of the street, and Fite and Spark were gone.

"They went this way?" "Yes. That cat twerp will be taught a lesson!" "Grr! You idiots were stupid enough to lose those cat and dog twerps!" They bellowed together. _Cat and dog twerps? Could they mean Spark and Fite? _

"Where are those other two?! I just had them locked in sight!" One of them roared. "Received order from boss. New mission, code 89163: Track down and locate dog and cat known as Sparkly Rose Lab, and Fite." _They're going after them! We gotta help! _

"But what about the other twerps?" One asked with a dark tone. "The boss has special plans for them later. But for now, me will find and torture those twerps into telling us where the twerp known as Princess Roxy and Ocean are hiding." "Right!" And with that, they flew off. Then Ocean and I jumped to the ground and stared at them as they took off.

"They… know our names?" Ocean wondered. "I don't know." I pulled out the glove. It had a black oil stain on it. "What's that?" He asked. _That's it! Obvi's still alive! But could she have something to do with this? _"It's… Obvi's." I told him.


	5. Chapter 5

"_Roxy! I'll come back for you, I promise! Please promise me you'll-" The voice was cut off as if shouted to me, and that's when I realized that the key in my hands was glowing. In front of me was a large gear connected to a jungle of wires and even more gears. On the ground was a large keyhole, and inevitably, I stuck the key into it and turned it. The gears did spin, but at a terrible price. I suddenly realized that my fur color was growing paler and I felt weaker. I then dropped to my knees and blacked out. _

"Obvi?" Ocean questioned me. "Yes." I said. He gave me a confused look. "She-" I was interrupted by a loud boom sound. "What now?!" I yelled. Ocean dragged me to the shade of a large building and pointed upwards. I looked in the sky and saw a Telemarketer scanning the streets for any live toons.

"Can't we just attack?" I asked him. He shook his head. "We need to save our gags for Daisy Gardens." He whispered as the cog flew by. "But what about Spark and Fite?" He hesitated. "They'll need to find their own ways for now." He growled. I was surprised by his sudden anger.

"What do we do now?" "Track down those cogs. Find them before they find the others." He stated. I gave a nervous nod and we walked on. "So how exactly will we find them?" I asked. He pulled a device out of his pocket that was labeled "Cog Lures."

"This," He told me. "will find them." He then pushed a button on it and went through a digital list on the screen and pressed a button that showed a picture of a Mr. Hollywood. Then it searched on a virtual map for a moment until three red dots appeared on the screen. They were moving rather quickly for such an old-looking machine.

Ocean studied the map for a moment, then looked up. "They're headed for Daisy Gardens! We gotta hurry!" He exclaimed. "Right!" And then we ran down the street to the tunnel.

. . . .

A bush somewhere near the middle of Silly Street shook roughly. Out popped a dark blue cat who stared in the direction that Princess Roxy and Ocean had gone through. She quickly went over a piece of paper she had in her pocket and looked back at the street.

"I know that was Roxy, but could she remember me?" She asked herself out loud. Looking back at the piece of paper, she slowly got up. With only one glove on her right hand, she took a deep breath and ran down Silly Street.

. . . .

"Hey Roxy?" "Yeah?" Ocean called me, cutting me off from my thoughts about this whole "incident." There was a long silence between us and the only sounds that could be heard was from an owl. We stopped running, for the street tunnel was a _very _long way away.

Finally, we stopped and climbed up a tree, where we had no choice but to sleep there. Then, Ocean turned to me to continue our conversation, and asked the one question I was hoping he wouldn't ask. "Who's Obvi?"


	6. Chapter 6

_A high-pitched shriek was silenced in the darkness, cutting me off and holding me back from the last time I could ever tell her goodbye. "Where are you?!" I whirled around and found nothing but emptiness, but also a whirring sound. "Help! It got me!" I soon gave up and dropped to my knees in tears. "No! Don't go there! Come back!" _

"Obvi?" I whimper slightly. "Yes." "Well… I, um, she... She's my… sister." I suddenly blurted out. I slapped my forehead for being sounding so desperate, but Ocean didn't mind that.

"Sister? If that's it, why were you so scared about telling me?" He asked. "B-Because, well, our… history is not a good one." "What happened?" "I… She… I don't really want to talk about this right now." I sighed, remembering our past. _Why did she have to do that?! _We then slept the rest of the night away in silence.

Ocean yawned and woke me up with a nudge. I jolted awake and realized how early it was. I then decided to talk more about the cog waves. "Do you think Spark and Fite are doing alright?" "I dunno. I guess we should start looking now." I agreed, and we jumped to the ground.

"Remember, cogs are everywhere. We gotta stay low." He reminded me. Then, we crept along the shadows of the buildings and headed to the street tunnel.

As we went on, I thought more and more about how all this danger could be because of me. I suddenly felt guilty and wished that I didn't ever move here, so then these invasions could be easier for everyone. "Hey… Ocean?" I whispered. He turned his head. "Yeah?"

"Is-Is all of this my fault?" I asked. "Huh?" "I mean, I stood up to the cogs and pushed them to the point where they kill us all." He stared at the ground for a while with an almost-tearful frown. "Roxy, you did scare a lot of people, but what you did also gave a lot of toons courage and strength." He told me.

"Th-Thanks…" I said in a low tone. He gave a nod and kept going. Eventually he stopped and checked his cog tracker device. I leaned in for a look and almost jumped up with excitement. Daisy Gardens was by now only three blocks away! Then I noticed three red dots on the screen near the end of the map and my eagerness faded.

Ocean stared at the screen for a while. Then, he turned to me and said, "Those Hollywood cogs are waiting for us at the tunnel! They must've known we were coming." "But you heard them, they're on a mission to capture Spark and Fite. Unless they found them, they should be gone." I argued.

He shrugged, then thought for a moment. "Wait a minute. They did say they got that mission from their 'boss.' Who could that be, anyway?"

I was about to answer, when a scream interrupted me from behind. I spun around to find a multicolored monkey running for their life down the street. She was out of breath, panting and soon starting to slow down. Behind her was a Mover and Shaker cog.

"Help!" She called out desperately. I couldn't bear to see this. I looked at Ocean with hopeful eyes. He whispered to me softly, "Go ahead." With that, I pulled out a TNT stick, leaped into the air, and bombed the cog.

I looked over at the monkey. She was trembling. "Are you ok?" I asked her. "Yeah, thanks a lot. I'm Lady Boingenfoot, but you can call me Lady." She replied. "Do you have gags?" She shook her head. "I ran out a while ago. That cog was just so tough." She wheezed. "Here, take some of mine." I offered and handed her at least half of my gags.

She gave a "thank you" sign, and asked me what I was doing as Ocean ran over. "Oh, um, we're actually heading for Daisy Gardens. If you haven't noticed earlier, there was a huge explosion over there yesterday and we're going to check it out." I explained.

"I'm Ocean." Ocean greeted her. She introduced herself happily, then turned to me. "Hey, you're going to look for any survivors, right?" "Right." I agreed. "Can I help you look? I wanna help you search, and possibly find my sisters. They, apparently, were over at Daisy Gardens when the explosion happened." She whispered shyly.

"Of course!" I nodded. Ocean smiled and lead us to the corner of the tunnel to the gardens. "Remember, there are three cogs here that are waiting for us, so if you see them be ready." He informed us. We followed him, and turned the corner.

I dropped my pack and gasped. The three Hollywood cogs were blocking the tunnel entrance, and were angrily yelling at each other. Lady and Ocean were already prepared for battle with cream pie gags. The cogs noticed us, and stopped yelling. One of them bellowed, "So we've finally caught the twerps."

"Not yet!" I was startled by the confusion as Ocean jumped high into the air, and landed right in front of the cogs. When I looked up, one of them was on the ground with pie all over his face and his circuits were shorting out.

Another one smirked. "Huge mistake." He laughed and held up what was behind his back. I then felt a flash of anger and shock at what I saw. In his monstrous hands was Spark hanging limply.


	7. Chapter 7

_The shriek grew higher and higher, leaving me confused with just a small gear in my hand. I saw a strange metal bar sticking out of a huge machine, and curiously, I placed the gear onto the machine and screwed it in. The machine then began to start, making deafening noises, almost enough to drown out the screams from the darkness behind. "Beware, of the true cogs, beware…" _

"Spark!" I shouted to her. She didn't move. Ocean was on the ground, with two gigantic Hollywood cogs leaning over him. He looked up with horror frozen onto his face as one of the cogs lunged at him.

Off to the side of them, I noticed Spark's and Fite's gag packs lying on the ground. _Fite isn't here, but how could they get her gags? _Ocean gave a desperate yelp. I looked up and stared. The cog had grabbed Ocean, and was starting to crush him with his hands.

Ocean struggled on and on, kicking his legs and trying to break free. Without thinking, I angrily grabbed a cream pie and fired it straight into the cog's face. Yelling in pain, he dropped Ocean carelessly and tried to wipe off the pie on his face, but it was too late.

The cog fell over and shut down as its systems shorted out. The cog holding Spark just stood there, afraid to lose Spark if it moved. I rushed over to Ocean on the ground. He moaned painfully as I helped him up. I guess the fall must've hurt his foot.

"Are you ok?!" I asked him. He didn't answer me. I looked over and saw Lady trying to take on the third one. She was leaping and dodging, and using several gags. I quickly lead Ocean to the protective shade of the sidewalk and left him a dynamite stick just in case.

I ran up to the cog holding Spark and stared it in the eye. It stopped fighting and stared back.

I looked over at Lady. She was preparing to launch a pie slice, and she met my gaze. I pointed at the cog, then at her gags. Then she gave a nod. She then jumped high into the air and threw the pie slice, distracting the cog as it went as fast as it could to wipe off the pie.

I raced up behind the cog and blasted it to the ground from behind with a hose. It dropped over with Spark still in its arms. The ground shook as it fell, almost making me lose my balance. "Huh?! What?! _ROXY?!" _

I looked over to Spark. She was just now awake, trapped under the hands of the lifeless cog. "Um, can you help me?" She asked after a long silence. I shook my head and walked up to her. "R-Right. Just hold on." I told her and lifted the cog's arm off of her.

Lady ran over to Ocean as he winced, grasping his foot. She examine his injury, then dug through her gags until she found a handful of pixie dust. "Here. This will heal you." She said and sprinkled the dust over his foot.

Within seconds, it healed instantly and Ocean jumped up and thanked Lady. She dipped her head and they walked over to Spark. "Can't believe we beat these things so fast." Ocean muttered to the cogs. Spark sat up and retrieved her pack along with Fite's.

"Thanks a lot, guys. And uh, toon…?" She said, referring to Lady. "It's Lady Boingenfoot." Lady replied and they shook hands. Before I could say anything, Ocean cut in.

"Spark, what happened? Where's Fite, and how did the cogs get you?" Spark sighed. "Well," She began. "It all went down like this: after Roxy went to that bush to see what was inside, those three cogs suddenly appeared. I panicked and went into a random direction with Fite following me. I saw the three cogs searching for us, so we hid. After they left, I looked everywhere, but you guys were gone! Fite hurt herself on the way to our hiding place, and since we lost our gag packs, she had to wait there while I went to look for help. I was standing in the middle of the street looking for any toons, when the cogs just came in out of nowhere and chased me! They chased me back to the hideout, but by the time I got there, Fite was gone! Then the cogs finally got me…" She explained worriedly.

"Do you know why they wanted you?" I questioned her story. She shrugged, and told us that was all she knew. "We should go. Fite might be in Daisy Gardens, as well as Lady's sisters." Ocean decided. "Alright." We all agreed. Then, we walked into the tunnel.


	8. Chapter 8

_The key I've been visioning for so long vanished into thin air. Curiously, I looked up. There was a large, mountainous pile of dead cogs, wires and oil everywhere. At the top of the hill of robots stood a fearless toon, who held in one hand a small gear, and in the other hand, a tiny key. They met my gaze and as soon as they came, they were gone. _

-Small note- This chapter is mostly about Fite.

Fite ran as fast as she could down Silly Street's outskirts. She panted heavily, but told herself over and over that if she stopped running, so would her life. "Get back here!"

A large Telemarketer chased after her quickly, getting faster and faster within every step. She turned and went down a random alleyway, but it was a dead end. "There's no escape. You're coming with me!" The cog hissed. _Where are my gags?! _She thought to herself.

The cog cornered her, ready to dive in and grab her with outstretched hands. "No, I'm not!" She yelled and jumped over the cog as it lunged for her. She grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at the Telemarketer, slamming it into its head with great force.

The cog whirled around with raging fury. "Come on, gear-brain, come and get me!" She teased and laughed at it. It hissed and flew over her head, then slammed its body onto the ground, and also onto her.

Fite struggled to get free, but the cog wouldn't budge. He roughly grabbed her and flew off. "Where are you taking me?!" She exclaimed and kicked the cog. Instead of wincing in pain, he smirked. "Where do you think?" Then, the cog flew off with Fite towards Daisy Gardens.

. . .

I held my breath as we turned the corner in the tunnel to Elm Street. "Do you think that Daisy Gardens is still… garden-y?" Spark asked. "I don't know." I answered. I hoped that there would be no damage done to the streets, but inevitably, I was wrong.

We stepped onto Elm Street and gasped. The grass was ash, the flowers were cinders, and the toon buildings were now cog buildings. "What… have they done…?" I whispered. "Let's go." Ocean ordered, and we proceeded down the street.

"Stop, toons!" I slowly turned my head and saw a Mingler standing behind us. "You're in big trouble." It (She?!) bellowed. There was a long hesitation before I couldn't hold back my fears. "Bye!" I randomly screamed and we all broke into a run towards the playground with the cog trailing behind us.

. . .

"Let me go!" Fite shouted and tried to elbow the cog, but his grip on her was too tight. "Do you toons _ever _shut up?!" He rolled his eyes.

Minutes passed, and it was getting pretty late. Fite stopped attempting to escape, and finally gave in. Then she had an idea. She looked up at the cog. "Hey, do you have water? I'm so thirsty!" She asked dramatically. The cog gave a heavy sigh. "Fine! I don't know what's worse: that I'm doing this, or that we even need you!" He growled and brought Fite down to a small stand on the street with water bottles.

"I can't believe how dumb you are!" He said as she grabbed a bottle. "I can't believe how dumb _you _are!" She shouted and blasted the cog with a seltzer water bottle. The cog shorted out and fell over.

On its back, she saw words, reading "Unfinished work." She sighed. "I guess this cog was so stupid because it wasn't finished with its building. Can't believe how sarcasm always works, especially with thirst!" Then, Fite walked down the street to find the tunnel to Silly Street, where the others could be.

"Geez. What happened to this place?" She wondered as she went along. Then she paused for a moment. "Wait. That cog said he needed me. What was that for?" She asked herself out loud. Nearby, her thoughts were interrupted as a toon fell out of a tree and crashed into the ground. "Oof!"

"Are you ok?" She asked the pink monkey. The toon gave a nod. "Who are you? I'm Fite." Fite told her. The monkey got up and brushed herself off, then turned to Fite. "I'm Little Candy Boingenfoot." She said softly.


	9. Chapter 9

"_Roxy! Help us! Please!" As hard I tried, I couldn't find the voice within the darkness. Cogs rained in everywhere until I was completely surrounded. They carefully approached me as if they were afraid. "Behold, the light!" I whirled around and confusedly ran off into the nightmare. Then it hit me, the vision of a pale grey cat with a robotic appearance, looking down on me with red eyes and growling. I backed away cautiously, only to hear the deafening shriek of an unknown, yet seemingly familiar creature. "Come back!" _

I panted as we bolted down the grey sidewalk of what used to be Elm Street, with yet another large cog racing after us. We had been running for what seemed like forever, and we all knew that this road was mentally endless.

Ocean was beginning to fall behind; even though Lady healed his foot earlier, it was still painful. I grabbed his arm and tried to speed him up, but it was no use. The Mingler was inches behind him with outstretched arms, and a furious expression.

Spark noticed us struggling and slowed down to help. "What are we going to do?!" I growled through my teeth at Spark. "I don't know!" She yelled desperately. "Hang on!" I shouted and let go of Ocean. I then sprinted up to the cog, leaped into the air, and threw a large birthday cake at it.

"Why the boss want something so stubborn?!" The cog exclaimed and angrily wiped off the cake. _Does she mean me? _"Leave us alone!" I screamed and fired the cog with a hose, ending its robotic life. I took a deep breath and turned to Ocean. He was on the ground, grasping his foot in agony.

"Are you alright?" I asked him with a worried tone. He didn't answer me. "His foot must hurt pretty badly! Let's hurry to the playground!" Spark commanded and we headed towards the playground faster than we ever have before.

. . .

A dark blue cat trekked silently down Elm Street. She had just passed the tunnel entrance, and the bodies of three dead cogs. As she went on, she wondered more and more about her past, and if her sister would remember her.

"I sure hope Roxy isn't too far…" She said out loud as she went on. She pulled out the piece of paper from her pocket once more and took a long stare at it. It was a note from her old sister with a picture of them and their third sister.

She clutched her gag pack tightly, remembering what happened the day before the cogs came. "Oblivion… Why?" She sighed sadly. The cat walked on, feeling as if the lonely world were closing in on her. Then, she turned the corner, and ran as fast as she could, trying to get away from the state of depression.

Nearby, an aqua cat stayed under the shadows of a tree with a pink monkey beside her. "So your sisters are somewhere around here?" The cat asked. The monkey nodded. "Yep. And your friends are too, right?" "Yeah." The cat agreed. "It's getting kind of late… Should we stay here for now?" She decided. "Of course." The monkey agreed, and they gazed up at the stars before curling up against the tree and going to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

_I walked silently down the street of nightmares on the road of darkness. Gears were piled up in massive mountains, flames burst from everywhere, and only one toon still existed within the world: me. As I went on, several cogs joined me from behind and followed carelessly. The numbers of them grew and grew until exactly one thousand of them were trailing behind. I didn't bother to take notice of them, and kept going until a light appeared in front of me. There was a long hesitation, until I finally leaped into the air, readied myself for landing, and entered the endless lights of the clockworks. _

"Almost… there!" I grunted as we dragged Ocean towards the tunnel entrance. "Do you need help?" Lady offered. I shook my head. "Do you think there's cogs nearby?" Spark asked. Just then I had an idea. I carefully reached into Ocean's pocket, and pulled out the Cog Lures device.

"This'll find some." I told her as Lady helped Ocean. I turned on the power, then stared at the screen with stupidity. All these different choices were listed on the screen that were written in code, with different map options and even virtual gags.

"Do you know how to use it?" Spark questioned me. I didn't answer. A wave of embarrassment washed over me as I shook my head and approached Ocean. "Can you… use it?" I asked and handed it to him. He gave a nod and silently began to work through the codes.

After a long while, he finally talked. "You didn't know how to use it because it had a bug, showing the options written in code!" He told me. I slapped my forehead, embarrassed. "Now try." He whispered softly and gave it back to me.

Things were much clearer now. There were lots of choices on it that seemed interesting, but there was no time. I pressed the button that was labeled "find cogs," and it went onto a virtual map, and scanned the area quickly. Once it was done scanning, it showed no cogs near us, and when I checked the playground for cogs, it malfunctioned and shut down.

"Well?" Spark was eager to know where they were. "It… didn't work. It shut down when I tried to use it." I answered. "Let me see." Ocean said and took back the machine. He jammed the power button, replaced the batteries, and reset it, but it was no use.

"Something or someone hacked it." He finally stated. "We need to be careful! The cogs could've done that to surprise us!" Lady warned us. We agreed and cautiously neared the corner to the entrance. "Roxy! Wait!" "Huh?" I spun around and saw a dark blue cat racing towards me.

This cat seemed somehow familiar to me. I went deep into my memories until I finally found the one telling me who she is. "G-G-Gwen?!" I exclaimed and bolted over to her. "Gwen, you, I, what, how, UGH!" I stammered, humiliated.

Out of nowhere, she hugged me. "I can't believe you're still here." She whispered warmly. "Hi?" We looked over and saw Ocean in front of us with an eyebrow raised. "Oh, right, I'm Gwen." Gwen greeted him. "I'm Ocean." He introduced himself, then turned to me. "Hey Roxy, how do you know each other?"

I sighed. "Well… We're sisters, and we haven't seen each other in a long time." I explained with my sorrows growing back within every word I said. "Yeah… And Roxy, do you… remember Oblivion?" Gwen asked me. I gulped nervously. "Y-yes." I replied.

"There's word that she… is leading the cog army." Gwen murmured as Spark and Lady walked over. "Wait what?" We all said together, asking her to repeat. "A toon named Oblivion is leading the cog army along with the CEO." She repeated with a serious tone.

"But, she-" I began, but stopped when I noticed Gwen was wearing only one glove, with oil stains on it. "Gwen, are those her gloves?" I asked suspiciously. She nervously nodded and gave a tug on her shirt collar. "After she was, well, corrupted, keeping her gloves was the only way I could remember the good toon in her, but I lost the other one." She explained.

"I-I think I've found it." I told her and pulled out the black glove I found from Silly Street. Gwen took a long look at it, and pushed it away. "This isn't the other one." She shrugged. "What? Then who's is it?" Spark wondered.

"HEY!" A robotic voice yelled at us. "Uh-oh." Lady muttered, annoyed. Yet another large Mingler stood in front of us. "Guys, I ran out of gags." I said, trying to maintain my calmness. Before anyone could pull out their gags, the cog threw five clip ties that clung to and fastened around our necks, choking us all.

I fell to my knees, gasping for air, and knew that this was the end of us all. The cog towered over me and reached out to grab me. I closed my eyes and prepared for impact, but it never came.

I looked up weakly. A flash of purple struck too fast; within the blink of an eye, the cog was shorting out on the ground. Next thing I knew, everyone else was on their feet and something was crouching over me, loosening the deadly tie and finally taking its hooks off me.

I jumped up, breathing heavily to regain my breath, and looked to whoever had just saved us. Crouching next to me was a purple-colored rabbit, trying to put her gags away as fast as she could. "Y-You're that purple rabbit from before!" I exclaimed. She gave a shy nod.

"What are you doing here?" Lady asked her. The bunny helped me up before answering. "My name is Lilli. I wanted to come with you, but after I left, you were already gone." I looked down and noticed she was only wearing a single glove. "Wait a minute. Is this yours?" I questioned her and showed her the oil-covered glove.

Her face lit up. "Yes! That's the one!" She thanked me and retrieved the glove. "I might not show it, but I have a passion for defeating cogs." She told me shyly. "Where's that blue dog you were with before? And HOW ARE YOU SO FLIPPING FAST?!" I demanded to know. "Oh, he stayed behind. And that speed runs in my family. We're not made for attacking, we're made for defending." She smiled kindly.

"Um, it's kind of late. Isn't anyone else tired?" Spark yawned. Then we all realized we were tired. "Yeah… Unfortunately, since all the buildings belong to cogs, we'll have to sleep in the trees." Lady sighed, but everyone didn't mind that.

As I lay against the trunk of the tree, I turned to Lilli, next to me. "Were you hiding in that bush on Silly Street?" I whispered curiously. She nodded. "I was kind of scared to meet you at first, and when you came over, I dropped my glove." She said sleepily. "Well, you don't have to be scared. We WILL stop those cogs!" I promised her my very best, and quicker than she was, we fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

_I've seen it before, that face, those strangers, this place. I climbed the lone hill of shadows until I reached the top, hoping to find light, but it never came. Slowly I raised my hand and let the dark winds consume me; when I opened my eyes and stared down on the caged toons and winding gears. Then, I looked outwards towards the horizon, where I found the one toon; the legendary hero of all toons. It then threw its small gear, and in an instant all toons were freed and gone._

"…Roxy?" A soft, soothing voice woke me up with a gentle prod. "What's… going on?" I mumbled as I opened my eyes and yawned. Lilli sniffed, and the cool breeze ruffled her ears and fur. "It's time." She stated almost too seriously, I was surprised.

I knew what she meant. I could tell everyone else was already awake and waiting for us. We jumped down silently and I drank in the air; the smell of fresh factory smoke.

I stared at the tunnel standing right in front of me, deciding whether it was wise to go in or go back. We've come all this way, but this one decision could end our lives. There could be hundreds of cogs waiting for us right behind this wall, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Ocean took a deep breath and gestured towards the entrance. "Are… we all prepared?" I asked everyone blankly. They all gave a slight nod, and Ocean led us in. "Can we do this?" Lilli wondered aloud. Lady answered her with faint cheerfulness. "Of course! We have plenty of gags, and I KNOW we can do this."

Ocean cautiously slowed, getting more careful with every step. "Cogs are nearby." He turned to tell us and put his machine away. "Need gags?" Spark came to ask me before we stepped onto the playground. "Kinda." I replied, trying not to sound harsh.

She seemed a lot kinder than before; she gave me almost half of her gags, and we finally set foot onto the playground, or what used to be of it. "No…" My voice trailed off in a frightened tone. The whole playground was destroyed, fires everywhere, and not a toon in sight.

Dozens of cogs gathered around us, ready to capture us. "Toons, prepare to suffer." A mountainous Hollywood cog stepped in front of us and glared down at me. "So this is the toon those idiots were calling 'powerful.'" "W-What?" I stammered and took a step back.

"What… have… you… done?!" Every living thing turned their heads to the one toon who had the nerve to argue with the Hollywood: Ocean. He stared the cog straight in the eyes with a mean, cold gaze. "What have toons ever done to you?! What did the toons of Daisy Gardens do to deserve _this?!_" He pointed angrily at the destruction caused by the cogs.

"You toons are no concern to us. We've made a deal, to join or die, and yet this one still had to follow the lines and push us to the point where we kill you all." The cog argued with Ocean and pointed at me. Several eyes fell onto me, and then I realized, that this really was my fault.

_Follow the lines? What do all these cogs mean? _"WHAT deal?! You never gave us any choice, and even if we joined, you would still put us in poverty anyway! And I know that's not true! Roxy would never do that!" Ocean yelled louder than I've ever heard him before. Even the cog was speechless.

I glanced at the others, and they were all too surprised to speak or do anything. Silence closed in on everyone, and no one knew what to do. Ocean had a fierce glare, a growl rising in his throat, and was almost ready to bomb the cog without mercy. I had no idea what to do, and what I did next shocked even me. "He's right."

Ocean spun around to face me. "It… it is my fault. I did push them to doing this." "No, you didn't." Gwen placed her hand on my shoulder gently and looked into my eyes. "It was the cogs, Roxy. Not you." She whispered to me sweetly.

"Enough talk. I have business elsewhere. Cogs, capture!" The Hollywood commanded the others before I could say anything. "No!" Ocean leaped into the air, and had no other choice. He pulled out his only gag that could even help. With a large splat, he threw his only wedding cake gag at the cog's face.

Something strange was going on, for the cog had taken no damage. "How…" He whispered. The cog cackled as the others around us began to close in. "Your gags have no effect on us. We are upgraded." It seemed the world began to spin under out feet until I finally gave out and fell to my knees.

What have I done? This was all my fault. Cogs had already grabbed Spark and Lady. Lilli was separated from us in a tight circle of cogs, unable to escape. Gwen was struggling to break free of the cogs' grip. Ocean was running out of gags and out of energy. Why did I have to get these toons caused in this?

. . .

"Hello?" "Pearl? Is that YOU?!" "Yes." "What are you doing here?!" "I was looking for you. Who is this?" "I''m…"

. . .

When we were almost completely exhausted, the cogs grabbed us all and took us to the Sellbot HQ. I hung my head low with shame as the Telemarketer carrying me took me to the dark place of terrors where most toons had disappeared before.

Almost an entire hour past before we finally arrived at the dreaded place. I expected to be tortured by watching my friends die while doing so myself, but I was wrong. The others were herded towards the factory for whatever the cogs had planned, and I was sent into an elevator where I was to meet the VP.

No cog stood in the elevator with me as the doors closed, leaving me alone. I crouched into the far corner where I hugged my knees and tried not to cry. Although I had almost completely maxed gags, never in my life have I met the VP before.

I spent more time training rather than dealing with cogs all my life, and I guess this is the moment where I can put my skills to the test. _What have I done? I got all my friends in trouble and if only I had done something, Fite would still be here. I'm such a fool. I should never have moved here…_

Finally, the doors opened, and I stepped onto the large platform in front of where the VP should be. I expected to hear a deep, sinister bellow, but it never came. I gazed onto the place where the VP should have been, and in its place was a large gear pile with something standing on top of it. I looked up and gasped. It was Fite.


	12. Chapter 12

_Where was it? What's happened to all these innocent civilians? Where has the fun gone? Was I really trapped in this cruel world? Have I really stepped into an eternal lifetime of emptiness and depression? Were all my old friends really stuck in their own fearful worlds of despair? Have I betrayed and let down everyone? Darkness has claimed me for itself, turning me oblivious, and unleashing the one beast I had feared all my life, the one evil more sinister than any other. _

"Fite?! How did you-" I was curiously surprised by her sudden appearance, but she had already interrupted me before I could finish. "Snuck in with a few friends." She replied as she hopped down from the large gear pile.

Of to the sides, I noticed two figures moving behind the metal parts, who slowly stepped away from the rubble and approached me. A pink monkey and a violet mouse slightly smiled and waved a little shyly. "Hi, I'm Pearl." "And I'm Candy." They both greeted me kindly.

"Hi…" I didn't sound as welcoming as I hoped for, but I wasn't in the mood for chatting right in the middle of a deserted HQ. "Wait, where's the VP?" I had no idea what was going on or how Fite did all this.

"That's the thing. When we got here, there was no VP. Just this pile of gears, as if I'd know why they're here. I climbed up it to get a better view, and I actually did see the VP heading somewhere, but he's gone now." She explained carefully, but it felt as if it were all happening so fast.

"Hey, did you run into our sister, Lady?" When I gained focus again, I saw that Candy's face was desperately close to mine. "Y-Yes, actually, she came here with me and was sent to the factory with everyone else." "Calm down, Pinkie." Pearl told her sister.

"Could we… go?" Candy asked in the silence. "Yeah, but this is weird. Why would the VP leave without the cogs knowing, and what are all these gears here for?" There was no way I could understand all this. Fite gave a look showing she didn't know. "But let's get back into that elevator. Hopefully no cogs are down there." Then we ran into the elevator, and the doors slowly closed in front of us.

* * *

><p>"Where am I?" "Where do you think?" The cover was taken off of Ocean's head as he found himself tied to a chair in the middle of a dark room with a light shined on him. "Why do you have to do this?" He growled at a figure lurking behind him. "All for the boss." Ocean turned as far as he could and narrowed his eyes at the creature behind him. This thing behind him didn't even sound like a cog at all; it must be something different.<p>

He thought hard for a long time and tried to clear up what everyone had said before. _"Obvi is my sister." "Do you remember Obvi? She's leading the cog army." "We don't have... a good history together." "I really don't want to talk about it now." _Finally, he turned back to the thing hiding itself in the darkness. "You're a toon, aren't you? Obvi, right?" He snarled. "So NOW someone recognizes me."

The toon got closer and closer to Ocean until they were one step away from the light. "But I prefer something better: Oblivion." "Why did you betray everyone?!" He was demanding to know. "A fierce one, are we? All you fun-loving fools are the same." Ocean could just make out the glowing red eyes and the evil smile in the darkness. "But enough talk; you're going to perish." Oblivion stepped into the light to reveal herself. Ocean came face to face with her and prepared to die as she slowly raised a knife behind her back.

* * *

><p>"Is everyone okay? Lilli? Spark? Lady?" Gwen was blindfolded and hung by her wrists in an unknown place. "We're fine!" She heard their faint voices call back to her. "Where are we?" She asked herself out loud. "You will die here." A robotic voice sounded in front of her. "What's going on?" She tried to move, but failed to even budge the chains tied around her arms.<p>

"Gwen?! Help, please!" Spark's voice was desperate and alarming. "Let me go!" Gwen demanded and struggled to break free. "Die, toon." Gwen whimpered as she awaited the moment a knife would pierce her and end her life, but it never came.

* * *

><p><em>"Why did I ever trust you, you traitors?! All my life I've been there for you, and you never noticed! Instead, you had the nerve to ignore me and push me away! Well, you know what? It's my turn to do it now. I will have revenge, and you will pay! When I come back for you, you'll be sorry! You'll wish you never abandoned me and left me alone in the dust! So, guess what? It's my time now. Things will now and forever be run by Oblivion!" <em>


	13. Chapter 13

"_We must train at our very best to survive these invasions. If you want to live a full life, you must be strong enough to do so. You are to never go near the streets ever, and you must do as I say. I will teach you everything I know when the moment finally comes to face the enemy so you will be ready. Never stop running; the only way to pull through these hard times is to hide and only fight when you're caught. Come, now, for you are to begin your learning away from this cruel world, and away from everyone else." _

"Whoa…" That was all I could say as we stepped into the factory. There were all kinds of machines pounding the ground, welding gears, creating oil, and there were two metal doors. "What's that?" I heard Fite talk to herself out loud as she walked over to one of the doors.

"This was never here before." She said and felt the door's surface for any buttons or switches. "I know that other door leads to the factory, but what's this for?" Pearl walked up to where Fite was standing. "And how do we open it?"

"There's probably a button nearby." I searched everywhere for anything to get through the door. I eventually gave up and headed back towards Candy, but without seeing anything, I had tripped on something large that set off a small _click _sound.

I groaned as I got up, and saw that what I had tripped on was a hidden button that was pushed into the ground glowing bright red. The door itself had opened, revealing a seemingly endless hallway filled with countless doors and entrances. "Could they be here?" I heard Fite say worriedly as she stepped in.

"I… don't know. And I doubt that any cogs are around… strange." Pearl was already scanning the place for anywhere suspicious to go. "Let's go." I trekked down the hall with the others behind me and confusedly looked from side to side, wondering which way to go.

Minutes passed as the dimmed lights slowly turned to darkness. _Ocean, Gwen, Lilli, Spark, Lady… They're all in here because of me. Why did I have to do this? It could be too late now; we could just turn away and go back. I know that the others believe that we can do this… can we? I guess I have no choice but to believe with them that we can pull this off. But is this a risk or a chance? _

My thoughts were interrupted from a muffled shout beyond the metal maze. "Spark!" I froze and drew back the step I was about to take. "That was Lady!" Candy exclaimed fearfully and broke into a run. "Wait!" Pearl called to her, but she was too far ahead. Then we were all running into unknown cog factory, feeling closer and closer to our dooms.

* * *

><p>Lilli was hung by her wrists against a wall in a black room. "Who are you?" She called into the shadows. No one answered. She bit her lip nervously and shivered. "What are you doing... no..." She stopped struggling and stared in horror at the shadow of a cog sneaking up on her with a knife in hand. "The boss will be pleased with me." A robotic voice laughed hysterically.<p>

"What have toons done to deserve this?" She whispered softly. "You toons posses something that we cogs fear: fun. You've driven us back into our own territory several times, forcing us to live in the shadows, and you think we wouldn't be plotting revenge?" The cog was getting closer with every word. "But when you first came, we knew this was war after you... took Slappy." She pointed out. "Hey, it's just business. Toons also contain a substance that makes cogs stronger: sorrows." The cog said, nearing Lilli.

"So your 'business' involves separating us from our friends and family? And since when do toons have sorrows?" Lilli was quickly becoming more angry. "Precisely. Toons have a powerful sadness that can be brought out when defeated in battle. Now we collect and use these toons to upgrade our power and advantage." "So where are these toons then?" Lilli demanded to know. The cog laughed once more. "Where you're about to go."

* * *

><p>Gwen felt something tug on her leg, then finally yank it. She pretended to not be alive, but it wasn't working. Something sliced the chains around her arms, releasing her to the ground. She heard faint sparks bolting from a corner of the room, and dared not to breathe until the lights suddenly flicked on. She looked up to find Spark staring back at her with her hand on a light switch.<p>

"...Spark? Where's Lady?" "Looking for you." Spark helped her up and explained that they had escaped and had to split up to find her. "And Lilli?" Then it was silent from that moment on. It was clear that she had no idea where anyone else was. Together, they hiked through the hallways quietly. hearing no sign of cogs, until someone dared to yell, "Spark! Gwen!" "She's up there!" Spark pointed to the end of the hallway. Before Gwen could respond, Spark was already running.

"Wait up!" Gwen joined her and bolted past the dimming lights from above. She could hardly make out Spark in the distance; she heard a rumble not far behind. "Get back here!" "Spark, where are you?!" She called out, but received no answer. "Gwen! Come on!" She felt her legs suddenly grow quicker until she found Spark and Lady standing together. "We gotta go. Cogs are coming in from behind. Let's look for Lilli!" Lady decided as they raced into the darkness. "What about... Ocean?" She panted. Before anyone could respond, the rumble of cogs got louder. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Lilli closed her eyes and released her grip on the chains, ready for whatever was next. "Go ahead." She whispered, suddenly feeling a new kind of emotion that she had never felt before. She felt at peace with everything, even the cogs; it were as if she were the only one to ever experience this kind of feeling. "What? No..." The cog sounded surprisingly afraid; it dropped the knife and backed away from Lilli. "What's... going on?"<p>

She opened her eyes and saw the glowing eyes of the cog in the back of the room. "We failed." It stated fearfully and lunged for the door, but it couldn't make it in time. Lilli realized there was a light glimmering right in front of her, filled with spiraling beams of glorious colors. The light flashed quicker than lightning, and in an instant, the cog was on the floor, in pieces. The light then faded and Lilli tried to go over in her mind the possibilities of what just happened.

The cog was taken apart, but still had life in it. Sending one last message to other cogs nearby, it said, "She's... figured... it... out... don't... let... the... other... toons... know... about..." Before it could finish, it powered down, leaving Lilli hanging in confusion. "I figured out... what?" _What was the cog afraid of? What was that light? What are the cogs hiding? _The questions buzzed through her head, until something voiced to her almost silently, "You're special."


End file.
